Why do we accept what we experience as ‘The Norm’

Arriving back in the UK from Holland, having spent a week there doing a lot of driving I was absolutely shocked at the state of the roads in the UK when I got back. They were so bad that I thought there was something wrong with my car – thankfully there wasn’t – it was just the state of the roads.

Okay so, we’ve got bad roads, the thing is that when I left the UK I didn’t have the same thoughts driving on exactly the same roads that I now found so appalling. Obviously not knowing any different I just accepted the state of the road – the noise and bumps – as the norm and didn’t question it. But it did make me wonder what else we just accept as the norm because we don’t know any better.

Take accountants for example (!), do you use the same accountant year on year? If so is it because you don’t know any better, or do they actually provide you with what you want – help to understand exactly how your business is performing, what you could be doing to improve its performance and improve your own personal position? Might there be a better alternative out there, but you think they are all the same so you don’t bother – you just get used to them.

We can’t change the state of the roads, even if we wanted to, without Government intervention, but as business owners there are a significant number of other things that we can change, and probably would if we knew there was a better alternative out there for us.

Why should we accept something that is sub-standard just because it is seen as or has come to be accepted as the norm? We think the same is true of accountants. We’ve heard the stories, know from clients who are now with us and are delighted that they made the change and have found out from speaking to people in the business community just what they are receiving and we believe – just like a poor road surface – that many businesses have just become used to what they think is the norm because they haven’t experienced anything else.

So we are more than happy to offer an alternative to the ‘norm’ by meeting with anyone who is interested in knowing what accountants can and in our opinion – should – be doing for businesses.